Storm Waiting
by Venelope Von Schweets
Summary: Gaige and Zer0 get caught up in a storm and decide to wait it out. Thanks to AlexwwDragon for suggesting this idea.


**_Suggested by AlexwwDragon, who said I should write something for Zaige, because we all know this world needs more of it and it needs to be sappy as syrup, and just as sweet._**

~x~x~x~x~x~

He watched her survive everything Pandora could throw at her, he watched as she overcame each obstacle with ease, he watched as she grew from a dorky girl with a robot arm and companion to one who could rip out your heart: both metaphorically and literally. It was obvious she was meant to be part of the crazy and completely unpredictable world that was Pandora, what with cackling like a madman when killing a bandit or having her own style of shooting- even if it was a fire-at-random-and-pray-it-hits-something method. Even though past relationships never worked out for him, as most of them left him in fear of being killed or who have been killed altogether, he thought that one would never be possible, even in a parallel universe.

And yet, he always found himself playing "babysitter" with the Mechromancer whenever they happened to be in the same vicinity as one another. It was a routine of her pouncing on him as she said how badly she missed being away from her home, demanding they both share a pizza and drink, then fall asleep on his shoulder after finishing her retelling of what happened on some other planet. It was, to him, a tamer version of watching after Tina when she goes into a fit of "You can't stop me from trying to make a crater in the side of this planet". Then again, that was the only thing Zer0 could really compare to his arrangement with Gaige.

One night, when he was due to go to another planet that was on the other side of the galaxy, Gaige made him go on a hunt of sorts beforehand, as Lilith mentioned something about Roland hiding some ECHO's out in the Badlands and the Siren wanted them for sentimental reasons.

Skag corpses scattered the ground, puddles of slag could be smelt from miles away, and stray junk and loader bots were left to defend for themselves. Both Mechromancer and Assassin gave up the hunt for the night, as the mysterious ECHO's couldn't be found. Gaige leaned heavily against against the bounty board while Zer0 searched Zed's old hut for the third time.

"Dude, I'm pretty sure we aren't going to find anything out here." Gaige called as she saw a few stars poke out from beneath the blanket of dark clouds. She could smell rain coming, even over the heavy stench of slag, blood, and crude metal.

_"Doesn't hurt to look/_

_Besides, it gave us something/_

_to do for awhile." _Zer0 said as he came out of the hut and turned his attention to the sky.

"I think it's gonna rain." Gaige said indifferently. Zer0 looked at Gaige, her expression sour and cold. He flashed a question mark on his helmet and Gaige shrugged. "Guess I'll miss you when you leave."

_"What?"_ Zer0 asked, completely confused.

"I... I'll miss hanging out with you when you go to whatever planet." She rubbed the back of her neck as she straightened up. "You'll be gone for months and ECHO signals aren't the greatest things to rely on." Tears were starting to well up in her eyes.

_"You have the others." _Zer0 pointed out.

"None of them are as fun as you, though." Gaige whined. Zer0 rolled his eyes as Gaige slumped her shoulders. A thick raindrop landed on Zer0's helmet and he looked up in time to see a flash of lightening illuminate the sky. He motioned for Gaige to follow and the pair took shelter inside the medical hut. Gaige sat on the operation table, watching the rain turn the dirt and sand into mud and grime. Zer0 stood close, his eyes trained on the girl as she mindlessly picked at the holes in her stockings.

_"So." _Zer0 said to break the monotony of the rain pounding at the roof. Gaige brought her head up to look at Zer0, a sad look masking her face.

"What?" She asked, her voice could barely be heard over the rain.

_"What will you do then,/_

_When I don't come home after/_

_A few months have_ _passed? " _Zer0 asked as he looked the Mechromancer over. She sat there for a moment and thought. It wasn't an odd thing to talk about your potential demise on the rogue planet. Everyone did, even made jokes about it. It was mainly about dying in the weirdest ways possible, like getting in a heated battle and winning, only to break your neck after tripping over a rock.

"Probably cry for the entire time you're gone and then some when you don't come home or get my ECHO's." Gaige said after a moment's thought. Zer0 nodded his head slightly, a fluttering feeling in his gut. "I mean, you're one of the few people that are actually nice to me."

_"I'm nice." _Zer0 said, as if the statement were a joke. Gaige stared at him like he was missing something.

"Well, you treat me like an equal. Maya does without a doubt and Mordecai will too if you don't mention it in front of the others. Axton treats me like a kid and it gets really annoying at times. The others just don't care." Gaige explained.

_"I understand you/_

_I was merely laughing at/_

_The idea there."_ Zer0 laughed slightly. Gaige quirked an eyebrow at him, clearly thinking he was insane.

"You don't think you're nice?" Gaige asked. Zer0 shook his head no once and Gaige scoffed. "You are the nicest person on this planet! You always make sure I have everything I need before going somewhere, you make me check in so you know I didn't wake up dead, and you're really protective when it comes to fighting things." Gaige said as she twisted her body around to look at Zer0 in full. He shrugged and she pursed her lips.

She stared long and hard at Zer0, trying to get a response out of him but was slowly seeing he wasn't going to say anything. She sighed at twisted back to the entrance of the hut, where the rain was growing with great intensity and lighting was coming more frequently. Zer0 walked closer to Gaige and sat next to her, clasping his hands together and resting them between his knees. She turned her head and smiled slightly.

"Kinda boring out here." She sighed. Zer0 hummed in agreement and turned his head slightly to look at her. A flash of lightning illuminated the dark room and he could see the green in her irises, the freckles dotting her cheeks, the slight dimples that formed as she smiled. "What?" She asked as she caught the Assassin staring at her.

_"Nothing.__"_ Zer0 said as he slid a hand around Gaige's waist and pulled her close. She went willingly and laid her head on his shoulder. It was familiar and warm, something that could only be felt after a long period of repetition. Both watched the storm pass over them, holding one another loosely.

"Man... I wish I could kiss you right now." Gaige said to break the silence. Zer0 flashed a question mark before Gaige started to blush. "I mean, this is kinda romantic: watching the rain, cuddling, being the only people here." Gaige said as she started to swing her legs.

_"Doing so means that/_

_I have to remove my mask/_

_Which would be awkward."_ Zer0 said, his palms sweating slightly under his gloves.

"Amazing how you do your whole haiku thing." Gaige said as she looked at Zer0. Zer0 flashed a "O.0" on his helmet and Gaige laughed. "It's cool." She said as she pressed her lips to the space of his helmet where his lips would be. She lingered for a moment before pulling away and laying her head on his shoulder. He could see the glossy mark of her lips on his helmet and he frowned.

_"If you are going/_

_To kiss me, let me/_

_Move my helmet then." _Zer0 said as he raised his helmet just enough to expose his lips. Lightening flashed and Gaige could make out the smooth skin of his lips, the small scars littering the space, and how grey his skin looked.

"Convenient lightening." She muttered as she brought her lips to his and smiled. Zer0's hands gently cupped her face while Gaige clung to his shoulders. As they both pulled away, Gaige felt like a boneless, mushy mess while Zer0 could taste Gaige's lip gloss on his own lips. "Wow..." She said as she smiled wider at Zer0.

_"Ditto."_ He said simply as he lowered his mask and flashed a smiley face at her, to which she giggled. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close as they watched the storm roll over. Gaige and Zer0 returned to Sanctuary, giving the news of not find the ECHO's to Lilith, and retiring to Moxxi's for pizza and booze and a few rounds of not-so-subtle footsie. When it came time for Zer0 to leave, Gaige wrapped her arms around his shoulders tightly before moving his helmet up slightly to kiss him for a brief moment and making him promise to try and call her when he's landed. She waves goodbye and as he makes his way to the fast travel and heads to the launching site, his palms sweating and the taste of her lip gloss on his lips.


End file.
